614. Changing Role Models
For the purpose of reducing the boredom of doing household chores, I am sometimes listening to simple and superficial stuff like old radio shows. Thus I also listened to a serial about a private detective called Richard Diamond, consisting of several dozen episodes broadcasted around 1950.
As it is a Hollywood production, the hero was created as what at that period of time was the fictional prototype of masculinity. Being a prototype, Diamond was certainly the role model for many contemporary young men. Just as was and is James Bond for the generation of their sons and grandsons.
Diamond and Bond have a lot in common (, as much as I can know from only having ever seen one unpleasant Bond film without any wish for more).
Both role models are aggressive and tough, never have any fear, being very apt with weapons, fists and also with verbal flippancy. Both are not destroyable, no matter how much they get beaten up or injured. Both are never impacted by any guilt or emotional effects after having killed anybody as an everyday event of no consequence.
But there is one very decisive distinction between both role models.
James Bond is a disgusting promiscuous women abusing jerk. Were he real, he would be every decent woman's nightmare.
Richard Diamond appears to be principally a decent guy. Throughout the entire series, he has the same girlfriend, Helen, treating her correctly. Being the prototype of a stud, he is portrayed as catching every woman's interest and as flirting with all of them, but this is the limit. He is not only a role model of being true to Helen, but he is shown as being true by choice, not by lack of opportunity.
Diamond is also presented as not merely infatuated with Helen's body but also attached to her as a person, whom he appreciates enough to spend a lot of his spare time with her, including shared non-physical activities.
Monogamy is an implicitly and indirectly expressed part of this role model. Whenever Helen expresses jealousy of one of his female clients, he does not reproach her, but defends or clears himself as being true to her. An such jealousy is a part of Helen's being also a role model, it is not at all shown as inappropriate.
Richard Diamond is certainly not my ideal of a man, because I prefer non-aggressive intellectuals. But at least he is not someone abusing women as does his thoroughly repulsive successor James Bond.
As far as role models have an influence, someone like Diamond can bring out the relatively best in men, but Bond certainly reinforces their worst.
For the purpose of reducing the boredom of doing household chores, I am sometimes listening to simple and superficial stuff like old radio shows. Thus I also listened to a serial about a private detective called Richard Diamond, consisting of several dozen episodes broadcasted around 1950.
As it is a Hollywood production, the hero was created as what at that period of time was the fictional prototype of masculinity. Being a prototype, Diamond was certainly the role model for many contemporary young men. Just as was and is James Bond for the generation of their sons and grandsons.
Diamond and Bond have a lot in common (, as much as I can know from only having ever seen one unpleasant Bond film without any wish for more).
Both role models are aggressive and tough, never have any fear, being very apt with weapons, fists and also with verbal flippancy. Both are not destroyable, no matter how much they get beaten up or injured. Both are never impacted by any guilt or emotional effects after having killed anybody as an everyday event of no consequence.
But there is one very decisive distinction between both role models.
James Bond is a disgusting promiscuous women abusing jerk. Were he real, he would be every decent woman's nightmare.
Richard Diamond appears to be principally a decent guy. Throughout the entire series, he has the same girlfriend, Helen, treating her correctly. Being the prototype of a stud, he is portrayed as catching every woman's interest and as flirting with all of them, but this is the limit. He is not only a role model of being true to Helen, but he is shown as being true by choice, not by lack of opportunity.
Diamond is also presented as not merely infatuated with Helen's body but also attached to her as a person, whom he appreciates enough to spend a lot of his spare time with her, including shared non-physical activities.
Monogamy is an implicitly and indirectly expressed part of this role model. Whenever Helen expresses jealousy of one of his female clients, he does not reproach her, but defends or clears himself as being true to her. An such jealousy is a part of Helen's being also a role model, it is not at all shown as inappropriate.
Richard Diamond is certainly not my ideal of a man, because I prefer non-aggressive intellectuals. But at least he is not someone abusing women as does his thoroughly repulsive successor James Bond.
As far as role models have an influence, someone like Diamond can bring out the relatively best in men, but Bond certainly reinforces their worst.
